Maintaining control over the rise in juvenile offenses and complaints along with the rise in fraud are two of the things Oxford Police Chief Michael Neymanowski would like to do for 2009.
The chief also wants to maintain lots of ‘visible patrol?, maintain contact with citizens and business people and maintain traffic enforcements.
In 2008, the police department handled 7,119 service calls, an increase of 453 from 2007.
‘Most of the rise in calls are service-related and not crime,? Neymanowski said.
Here are some of the numbers:
Assaults ? 39, compared to 34 in 2007
Burglaries ? 7 (30 percent drop from 2007)
Vandalism ? 43, compared to 35 in 2007
Larcenies ? 59, compared to 59 in 2007
Fraud ? 14, compared to 5 in 2007
Motor Vehicle Accidents ? 75, compared to 88 in 2007.
Neymanowski said he’s concerned about the rise of juvenile problems, noting it has had a 24 percent increase from 2007. Most of the offenses in this increase deal with underage drinking, marijuana use and vandalism.
‘I encourage parents to be part of the children’s life,? he said. ‘Be aware of what their children are doing and who their friends are. A solid family environment is a key to raising good kids.?
For fraud, the chief has an officer trained in fraud investigations. He encourages citizens to contact the Oxford Police Department if they fall victim to some scam or are aware of something that does not seem right.
Bottom-line, if it seems to good to be true, it probably is.